“Miss Granoli!”
“–Huh?”
The frantic voice calling out to her was a very familiar one.
Opening her eyes at the recognizable voice, there knelt Claude Rezaia,
the bespectacled aide always at Prince Ruben’s side.
“Rezaia-sama? ”
The perfect companion for the prince Reuben. Claude Orr-Rezaiah woke Lazé up.
Having confirmed Raze was conscious, Claude seemed relieved.
(Was that gaze from Lord OrLezia??)
While Raze was perplexed as to why Claude was present, it wasn’t completely inexplicable either.
Claude was the sort who dabbled in assassin arts to protect Ruben. And he was the only one aware of the poisoning incident at their study group.
Knowing the culprit behind that poisoning was still around the academy, perhaps he had taken action.
“Why are you…here?”
Raze asked him point-blank.
“I have apprehended the one who pushed you down the stairs. I’ve had them marked for some time now.”
As Claude lit up the area with magic to examine Raze’s condition, he responded.
“A student, you say?”
—
—
Yes, the Viscount Baygen’s daughter, a third-year student. Her family has been at odds with the Mortens, so I’ve had my suspicions. She also failed in her attempt to become engaged to the prince. Moreover, the viscount seems to view his daughter as a mere tool…”
Claude trailed off there.
“–This is broken…!”
Raze’s arm was already starting to swell considerably. It must have been quite painful.
Meeting Claude’s intense black eyes, Raze spoke calmly.
“Well, I’ll be alright. More importantly, I’d like to know why she targeted me.”
Without changing her expression, Raze casually smoothed her disheveled hair back with her right hand.
She probably should have looked more into the noble family affairs.
(Not being that great at remembering things, I wish they’d cut me some slack…)
Letting out a sigh, Raze glanced up the stairs.
Sensing this was shaping up like some convoluted palace drama, she felt weighed down. This was why systems of nobility tended to be so romantically sordid.
“Alright? But…”
Ignoring Claude’s baffled tone, Raze asked,
“Where is the young lady now?”
“She’s restrained up above, but…”
“For now, could you head to the Clock Tower and call a teacher over? I’ll stay put right here.”
And so Harrens, who Raze had just parted ways with, came face-to-face once more.
“…..Young Granoli…..”
Having deduced she was intentionally pushed down the stairs, Harrens gave her an indescribable look.
“….Haha. My apologies.”
The clear implication that she needn’t have gone to such extremes hung palpably, but Raze just laughed it off.
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“……Another terrible injury, at such a critical time too… I’ll have you healed right away.”
After being treated by the head nurse Meryl Yun Ferrill, Raze’s body was fully restored.
“Thank you, Nurse Meryl.”
Normally, even healed by magic, major injuries leave a phenomenon known as phantom pain, as well as temporary loss of mobility – a sort of Rag between the body and mind’s recognition. This varies from person to person.
However, Raze hardly experienced such lags. But this time was different.
She had her treated arm immobilized to appear unfit for the tournament.
“Even if healed, you’ll need to take it easy for a while, understood?”
“Yes.”
After receiving treatment, Raze was called into another room to discuss the incident with Harrens, Lady Baygen, and Claude.
The conclusion: Lady Baygen had pushed Raze down the stairs, and was the same culprit behind poisoning Carne’s sweets.
Apparently, it had all been on orders from her father. Do whatever it took to bring Carne down so she could become queen. Otherwise, all his investment in her would be for naught, he had told her. Lady Baygen had been driven into a corner; she didn’t truly want to do such things, but feared it was the only way for her father to acknowledge her worth. Defy him and she might be disowned, her future prospects dashed. What, then, had been the point of her life until now? When the parent who raised her spoke, she had no choice but to obey.
If she had taken one wrong step, she would have killed someone, so she was not in a normal state of mind. Bit by bit, the Baygen lady confessed, “I had no choice,” which was painful to watch.
This time, Raze was targeted to threaten Carne by saying, “Break up with Ruben, or your friend will be in danger.” However, Claude had already retrieved the threatening letter before it reached Carne’s hands. When Carne did not respond, they resorted to stronger measures to show they were serious. Raze-Granoli, a commoner who was close to Carne and had few enemies, was chosen as the ideal victim.
As expected of Claude, I want to say he is a butler fit for royalty, but he is so capable that it’s almost a problem.
Since the lady was mentally unstable and her confession would take time, her fate was left to Harlens.
“……Are you sure about this? To make such an injury look like an accident caused by slipping on snow……”
After the conversation ended, Claude and Raze finally returned from the Clock Tower to the student dormitory. It had been a hectic day.
“My injury will heal quickly. Since I didn’t know the senior well, it would be more troublesome if it became a big deal…… I don’t want Carne and the others to find out about this. –Does that include Rezaia sama too?”
There was no parent who would be angry about Raze being harmed. As long as the matter was handled conveniently, she was fine with it.
Raze answered honestly, but Claude seemed somewhat unconvinced. He stopped walking, and behind his round glasses, his black eyes gleamed.
“……Was it intentional?”
“Eh?”
“Someone with the advanced ability to transfer toxins in an emergency would unlikely fall down the stairs, even if caught off guard.”
Claude’s incredible insight hit the mark.
There was no need to hide it, so Raze smiled bitterly.
“……Well, the fact that I was harmed is necessary.”
She was aware that what she was doing was quite cunning.
But it seemed Claude understood her thinking.
“……Next time, if I find out something about Mortens, I’ll let you know.”
“–!”
It seemed her efforts had paid off.
“Thank you very much!”
Raze smiled broadly at Claude.
“Morning– wait, what happened to your arm, Granoli!?”
The next day, as soon as Raze entered the classroom, Ian was the first to speak to her. Seeing Raze’s arm immobilized with a triangular bandage, he looked shocked.
“Ahaha. Last night, I didn’t notice the stairs were frozen and I fell……”
Raze repeated the explanation she had given to Folia and Carne.
“I was really surprised too,”
Folia, who had come to school with Raze, said to Ian with a slightly angry expression.
Last night, Raze had come home later than usual and got injured, so naturally, Folia was worried but also angry. This was the first time Raze had seen Folia in such a bad mood, and she felt a bit down. She reflected on the fact that she had done something a bit reckless.
“……On the stairs. Are you okay? Any other injuries?”
Raze smiled and assured Ian that she was fine, feeling more concerned than she had expected.
“But the day after tomorrow is the real thing…… With that arm, you won’t be able to participate, will you?”
“Of course not!”
Folia answered immediately for Raze. Ian seemed taken aback by her intensity.
“……Even Meril-sensei told me to stop, so I decided to withdraw this time.”
“……I see. That’s too bad…… But, it must be frustrating for you, Granoli.”
Seeing Ian look genuinely disappointed, Raze felt a bit guilty. It seemed he had been looking forward to the possibility of fighting her.
“Um, Ian-sama.”
“……Hm? What is it?”
“About the spear technique……”
“Oh, right! Today’s classes end early, so if you don’t mind, could you watch my special training later?”
“–Yes.”
Raze nodded, deciding to talk about it later.
She climbed the stairs to her seat at the very top and prepared her materials with one hand.
The winter tournament is smaller in scale than the Battle Festival, and even before the tournament, there are regular classroom lectures.
I think it would be fairer to compete within the same grade, but the Battle Festival was introduced with the policy of aiming for a high level across the entire academy. Originally, the winter tournament was a tradition of grade-level tournaments.
The reason it became a school-wide event was probably to ensure that exceptional students who enter the school at a high level do not get bored.
(I wonder who will be the last one standing.)
Raze looked around the classroom. Class A has students with solid family education, so the level is particularly high. However, in terms of practical skills, Class B and C also have students who can match Class A.
Well, considering the class divisions and the rules of the otome game, it’s almost certain that someone in this classroom will be the top of the grade.
(Will the main hero, the prince, finally become number one?)
Raze vaguely thought so. Ruben has a rare combination of fire and water, two completely different affinities. His swordsmanship, which he has been trained in since childhood for self-defense, is also quite skilled. Raze has never seen him lose in a sword-only match during practical classes.
“What happened to your arm……”
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